Ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will move into the Capitol office occupied by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a top GOP lawmaker reportedly said Wednesday as Republicans map out their new leadership hierarchy following McCarthy’s historic removal as speaker on Tuesday.
Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks to then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) ... [+]
McCarthy will move into Pelosi’s Capitol office, Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) told Axios.
Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) sent an email about 90 minutes after McCarthy was booted on Tuesday ordering Pelosi and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to vacate their secondary offices located near the House chamber, according to Axios, which reported that the email noted the locks would be changed on the doors Wednesday.
The move prompted backlash from Democrats, including Pelosi, who said the “eviction is a sharp departure from tradition” in a statement Tuesday, adding that she gave her predecessor, former Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), “a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.”
Pelosi was among four Democrats who were absent Tuesday and did not vote on the resolution to remove McCarthy. She is currently in San Francisco to attend late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s funeral on Thursday.
Republicans on Wednesday were working to clean up the fallout from McCarthy’s ouster and prepare to elect a new speaker, whose appointment could shake up the hierarchy among lower-ranking Republican leaders. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) became the first House member to formally announce a bid to replace McCarthy on Wednesday. Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) also announced a run for the job. If Scalise, or any other member of the leadership team is elected, the conference will need to select a replacement.
McCarthy was kicked out of his role Tuesday in a hard-right revolt led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who filed a motion Monday to remove McCarthy from office after McCarthy pushed a short-term budget to avert a government shutdown through Congress with the help of Democrats. Eight Republicans voted alongside all 208 Democrats to eject McCarthy, who has said he will not run for speaker again when Republicans return to the Capitol on Tuesday after a week-long recess. McCarthy, in his 269 days as speaker, was forced to negotiate with the far-right coalition to pass any legislation as they leveraged their outsized power under the GOP’s slim 222-213 majority in the House.
Kevin McCarthy Will Not Run For Speaker Again After His Unprecedented Ouster (Forbes)
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